edward lawrence is in washington. edward, good morning. >> reporter: these were vicious, fast-moving storms that ripped across the south. in addition to the deaths, the work crews in the south are working to restore the power in at least five states because of the tornadoes and the blizzard conditions in the midwest. >> reporter: a christmas day tornado tore three mobile, alabama. >> there it is. >> joe michael love pulled out his cell phone to record the twister while miles away it destroyed a church and homes and his son's high school. >> the van is almost destroyed. the fieldhouse is gone. just all the portable buildings for classrooms are gone. >> reporter: here in houston, texas, the tornado destroyed some buildings and tore down power lines. francis lowe and her husband couldn't get away in time. >> we tried to leave at first but could't because the truck was off the ground, and it wouldn't go. finally, it touched the ground, and we took off. >> reporter: damage from a tornado in pearl river, mississippi, stretc